Links and resources

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posted by: mollysheridan (reply)
post date: 10.03.04 (12:15 pm)

Omygod! I can't believe my gyn proscribed this stuff to me. He blightly gave it to me to lessen my hot flashes!! Geez. I've been on 37.5 mg for 6 mos. Recently decided it was interferring with sleep and decided to go off cold turkey. Who knew!! The brain zaps are really debilitating...can't drive. And this is only after 48hrs. Haven't got the nausia (sic) or crying jags thank goodness.

Wanted to thank you for posting this blog. It's been a big help and I don't feel so alone. I'm going to try the motion sickness stuff you recommend and keep a bottle of water at my side. I'll let you know how long this @#@#@#@#@#&*& lasts. Thank you, thank you for being here.

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posted by: Linde (reply)
post date: 11.13.04 (11:03 am)

Hi brainzaps ... I've been taking effexor for almost 9 years (as of early Feb 2005) for a combo of depression and ADHD. I've been wanting to come off of it for a while, but did so briefly a few years ago, and it taught me my lesson about how hard it was going to be -- however, the Effexor or my body have decided to preempt me, and I'm taking the usual dose (225 mg. of XR) and IT'S NOT WORKING ANYMORE!!!! Yikes! So I've developed a tolerance/resistance, my liver's not making the necessary enzyme anymore, OR SOMETHING.

Could you repost the tips for titrating/ coming off? Or have they been eaten for good by the server?

THANKS LOADS for this site!

my email address: lindemb@earthlink.net

Linde

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posted by: Outsider (reply)
post date: 02.10.05 (8:52 pm)

Hi brainzaps --- I've got to thank you for the site. My girlfriend is just beginning her discontinuation of Effexor XR. Yesterday she was sick as a dog, today she's really cranky to go with it. I've been doing everything I can to help her. She's dropped from 150mg to 75mg and she's been pretty miserable since. Anyway, the point of me writing in was to get you this link. Its a link to the FDA's medwatch registration. You can E-file a complaint here and if they receive enough of them, they will open an investigation. My hopes out of this would be that they would make these withdrawal symptoms more widely known to doctors who seem to hand it out like candy at a parade, and more importantly, people who are being prescribed with Effexor. Here's the link https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/

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posted by: Jode (reply)
post date: 11.18.06 (11:29 am)

I have been taking Effexor for 4 years. Started at 75MG and went up from there because of bad divorce, moving back to France (my country) from the US after 20 years etc.... I am now at 300MG a day plus Lexomil which help with anxiety. For the past few months I have had these very unpleasant feeling of lightheadedness, and heart racing! The medecine has done a great job for my depression but I am sick and tired of taking pills. I am a rather healthy person, do yoga, eat well but my return home was really tough on me plus I am facing the bad unemployement in France. Anyway, I am dying to get rid of thar poison and will in good time with the help of my doctor. What worries me is the addiction I might have developped and also the side effects I have mention earlier and never had before.
I know that medecine acts differently on people but I was wondering if anyone out there deal with this feeling of brain skipping!!!!
Finally I will say, do not ever mess with that sort of medecine, follow the doctor advice, it is a drug and need to be monitored when stopped.
Cheers,
Jode

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posted by: Jeff (reply)
post date: 11.20.06 (2:27 pm)

Hi Jode,
I can relate to your symptoms. I have read various posts and I do not look forward to suffering withdrawal symptoms. I guess my question to everybody on this site would be; Why do you feel the need to stop? Did Tom Cruise's comments have an effect on your decision? If I can feel the way I feel when I have taken the proper dosage, and can avoid the way I felt prior to taking the drug, I have no problem continuing. My only barrier is financial therefore the only time I have experienced symptoms is when I could not afford my prescription. Don't think for a minute that I cannot relate to the symptoms, heart palpatations or irregular heartbeat(call it what you want), intense dreams or more like nightmares e.g having to prevent myself from falling asleep just prior to sleeping for fear of not being able to wake up again, being lightheaded and zaps (brain shivers) my Dr. still doesn't know what I'm talking about. Actually now that I think about it my Dr may be using me as a Guinea Pig as I was used in 89-90 or somewhere around that time as an Accutane experiment(nothing but good news about that drug). He also had me on Zyban, Paxil, and Ativan all at the same time. Anyway I can't remember what I was writing about (joke) I am interested in hearing from others with similar experiences. I thaught I was going crazy prior to starting to take anti-depressants now I find myself analyzing everything from the way I feel in the morning before taking my dose to the dreams I experience and feeling about 1 step away from insanity (routine reruns etc.). Please e-mail me jirvineca@yahoo.ca.

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posted by: Jeff (reply)
post date: 11.20.06 (2:29 pm)

Hi Jode,
I can relate to your symptoms. I have read various posts and I do not look forward to suffering withdrawal symptoms. I guess my question to everybody on this site would be; Why do you feel the need to stop? Did Tom Cruise's comments have an effect on your decision? If I can feel the way I feel when I have taken the proper dosage, and can avoid the way I felt prior to taking the drug, I have no problem continuing. My only barrier is financial therefore the only time I have experienced symptoms is when I could not afford my prescription. Don't think for a minute that I cannot relate to the symptoms, heart palpatations or irregular heartbeat(call it what you want), intense dreams or more like nightmares e.g having to prevent myself from falling asleep just prior to sleeping for fear of not being able to wake up again, being lightheaded and zaps (brain shivers) my Dr. still doesn't know what I'm talking about. Actually now that I think about it my Dr may be using me as a Guinea Pig as I was used in 89-90 or somewhere around that time as an Accutane experiment(nothing but good news about that drug). He also had me on Zyban, Paxil, and Ativan all at the same time. Anyway I can't remember what I was writing about (joke) I am interested in hearing from others with similar experiences. I thaught I was going crazy prior to starting to take anti-depressants now I find myself analyzing everything from the way I feel in the morning before taking my dose to the dreams I experience and feeling about 1 step away from insanity (routine reruns etc.). Please e-mail me jirvineca@yahoo.ca.

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